Recent statistics say that there are about 10 candidates for every one position. Although the employment report is grim, there are still jobs out there. What can you do to stand out and land THE job?

As a staffing professional and career consultant, I’ve worked with hundreds of hiring managers and thousand of candidates. Here’s what works today:

1. The power of your personal professional network

Nothing is better than a personal referral. If you haven’t done so yet, start telling people that you are now “in transition” and seeking your next opportunity. And know that being in “transition” is not déclassé – it’s actually much more common than you think.

What to do first? Update your on-line profiles and start showing up at professional events around town. Reach out to associates from your past. Ask people to keep you in mind. Be visible!

When you’re looking for a job, you’re really in sales and the product you’re selling is you! Read up on sales skills and interviewing techniques. Know where you are in the process.

Take the initiative to circle back with everyone in your network on a periodic basis. Relationships are important and there’s nothing worse than being a fair weather friend. If you’re going to reach out and ask people for help, then take responsibility for circling back with your network regularly – even after you get the new job.

2. The power of social networking

Increase your sphere of influence. On-line social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook allow you visibility and access. Be searchable. Update your profile with key words to reflect a mini resume so that recruiters can find you. Start linking with as many people and groups as you can, especially on the business profile sites.

Open a personal email account which you only use for job hunting for the rest of your career and keep a personal business card.

Own your power when applying on-line to corporate websites:

The Internet is the best tool ever for job hunters. When possible, don’t submit your resume through the job boards. Look for someone in your personal or on-line network who can introduce you to a manager in the company. Reach out.

3. The Power of Focus

Focus your energy. You can waste hours trolling the web. Only apply to jobs which fit your skills, background and interests. This will increase your likelihood of success.

Recruiters work on many searches at the same time. When submitting your resume, make good use of the subject line. Say in the subject line: PERFECT FIT for XYZ position – DIANNE GUBIN. You will get the call.

You can make it easy for recruiters and hiring managers to remember you. Attach to your resume to all correspondence.

4. The Power of Volunteering

NOW is always an outstanding time to grow your network. Every professional and non-profit association needs volunteers. Raise your hand, show up early and be visible. You’ll have the opportunity to exercise your talents and people will get to know you in a different light.

5. The Power of Thought

Remember the power of intention and expectation. While networking and interviewing, INTEND and EXPECT positive outcomes. See your self working in the company where you’re interviewing. See yourself clicking with the hiring managers and the team. See yourself working at this new job every day. Think your way into a new story and watch it unfold.

Apply these Power Tools for your career and watch your new job unfold.

According to recent articles, some companies are not hiring unemployed candidates.

“WASHINGTON If you lose your job these days, it’s worth scrambling to find a new one fast. After six months of unemployment, your chances of landing work dwindle.

“The proportion of people jobless for six months or more has accelerated in the past year and now makes up 46 percent of the unemployed. That’s the highest percentage on records dating to 1948. By late summer or early fall, they are expected to make up half of all jobless Americans.

“Economists say those out of work for six months or more risk becoming less and less employable. Their skills can erode, their confidence falter, their contacts dry up.”

Not hiring an unemployed candidate is not illegal, but a form of silent prejudice, just as insidious as age or sex discrimination, or choosing not to hire a candidate with a disability who is capable of doing the job. The point of the interview process and reference checks is to determine a candidate’s ability to perform in a position.

It could be that some companies are so inundated with candidates for any given opening that “current employment” is now another qualification weeding tool, along with college degree and on target salary.

Considering it can take a month (or more) of job search for every $10,000 you’d like to earn, what should you do to show current activity on your résumé if you’re unemployed or a recent college graduate?

The key is to justify time out of the traditional work force at the top of your résumé under Professional Experience. This can include:

Consulting, contract, or temporary projects

Your own business. Regardless of the ultimate financial success of the business, you will gain a multitude of new skills and experiences.

Volunteer work. Every professional association seeks volunteers. Raise your hand and show up to make new connections in your industry.

Highlighting time for travel, elder or child care, or other personal concerns.

Tanya, a senior female executive in a largely male corporate environment, said that it was not unusual for her boss to take credit for her projects and successes.

How can you best self promote, especially if you don’t like talking about yourself or if patting yourself on the back is not part of the corporate culture?

First, know that others really are interested in what you’ve done and what makes you special. And no one knows how wonderful and accomplished you are─unless you tell them.

It’s important to let others, including managers, colleagues, support staff, clients, and vendors, know of your achievements. When asked what’s new, share news of your successes and give others something positive to say about you when you’re absent. Let your reputation stand for solid success.An easy way to self promote is to be aware of what others say and do in your company and department. Follow their lead. See what techniques and tactics others use to spread the word about their accomplishments. Do your managers and peers embed their successes into casual conversations, participate actively in meetings, or do email blasts?

Accomplishments are not always tied to the sales department. Accomplishments can include organizing a successful meeting or holiday party, implementing a new software that saves the company time and money, participating in a volunteer activity, or making it back quickly from a business trip to Europe when other people were grounded for volcanic eruption.

Self promoting can be as simple as maintaining a list of achievements since your last performance review. Document regularly the activities that everyone takes for granted and those that are beyond your job description. Pull out the list when it’s time to negotiate your next raise.

And if you’re looking for a job, social networking sites, especially LinkedIn with its link to Twitter and a personal blog, are excellent places to stay top of mind for those in your extended network.

During an interview, be sure to discuss your successes and what makes you unique. Tie your personal successes back to show how past achievements are indicators of future performance. Discuss how you can make your new manager and new company successful.

And back to our executive: Ultimately over the course of several months Tanya deliberately embedded stories and tidbits relating to her background and accomplishments into executive conference calls, as well as conversations with management and peers. The result? Tanya has been elevated to a new position with increased responsibility and visibility and is headed to a far superior situation at the organization.

My partner, Terri Turco Golden, and I shared our first joint seminar, Pens To Pumps! It was great. We had a full audience at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel. The attendees, almost all women, had great feedback for us. The material was right on target, but everyone wanted more time.

So… we’re planning the next workshop in July. Date to be announced as I’m also speaking in July for a third time for the Mr. Money Financial Workshop.

The next Pens to Pumps program will be longer and go more into depth on the key topics: how to find a job quick in today’s economy, resumes to open doors, interviews and negotiation skills.

This fun, fast paced, information packed professional make-over seminar delivers tips, tricks and sustainable knowledge on how to perfect your employment persona. Our two-part program will guide you from “pens to pumps” providing new ideas and tools guaranteed to make you stand out in this ultra-competitive job market.

An article in the New York Times by Louis Uchitelle on Sunday, July 19th discussed the recession and where the jobs are in this new economy.

Job losses are steepest in motor vehicles and parts, as well as temporary help services, employment services, furniture and related products, and construction and manufacturing.

So where are the jobs? Growing sectors include home health-care services (and areas related to an aging population), other health-care-related industries, oil and gas extraction, and the federal government (except the U.S. Postal Service).
Are your skills transferable? Solid backgrounds in accounting, sales, marketing, and project management, for example, are highly transferable skills, regardless of industry.

The ability to gather and analyze information, make decisions, lead, manage, organize, delegate, listen, negotiate, and show up on time are all examples of transferable skills.

As you march through your career, consider your job to be specific to a point in time and your skills to be transferable, regardless of where you work.

Expand your horizons by developing and cultivating skills that can carry you through your career.

With the economy rapidly plunging, there is a plethora of “overqualified” candidates available.

Overqualified can be defined as candidates who may have more experience and education than the position requires. These candidates are now willing to work in positions below their skill set at a lower market value. For example, we’re seeing chief financial officers now applying to work as accountants or financial analysts.

Some hiring managers say they are reluctant to hire overqualified candidates because the candidate:

Will be underpaid and soon ask for a salary increase or promotion

Will be underpaid resulting in personal financial issues

Could feel resentful and become a problem employee

May have more experience than the hiring manager, thus causing the hiring manager to feel his/her leadership or position may be threatened

May leave when the market turns around

None of these are solid valid reasons as much as negative thoughts focusing on why not to hire a qualified candidate. Once someone is in a job about six months, he/she usually masters the position. Now that the dot-com boom days are over, there is no evidence that overqualified candidates, once hired, leave for better positions.

Positive Aspects: Why You SHOULD hire overqualified candidates:

In today’s economy, there aren’t jobs available for candidates to move to. Many once healthy industries are now defunct. Candidates who make the transition to new firms say they are sincerely interested in stability and long-term success.

And candidates know that their compensation in prior positions has no bearing on what pay they may receive for a similar position in another firm. If a job is being outsourced, a candidate is more interested in maintaining a working career and a paycheck than quibbling over a salary differential, even if the difference is $20,000 or more. People are grateful for work.

We’re hearing that some companies have cut too many employees. This is an excellent time to hire and round out a team. This is a rare time when so many excellent people with strong skills and advanced degrees are immediately available.

Overqualified candidates are our neighbors. We want to keep people in our community employed. We can’t wait for the government and stimulus packages.

It’s up to you and your company to create jobs and hire today.

There are currently countless outstanding candidates for every open job. More people are in the process of losing their homes. They are eager for meaningful work and a paycheck. If you have a job opening, someone unemployed and available is waiting and ready to go to work for you today.

Let’s keep our economy strong. Let’s Keep America Working!

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Dianne Gubin now offers one-on-one coaching career services. Whether you’re re-entering the workforce or need to brainstorm how to ask for your next raise, we can help.